Novak Slams His Source On CIA Agent

Syndicated columnist Robert Novak has turned on his own source. Novak says Richard Armitage, the man who told him Valerie Plame was a CIA agent, didn't disclose her identity in a casual manner, and instead urged him to make her a column item.

"Armitage did not slip me this information as idle chitchat, as he now suggests. He made clear he considered it especially suited for my column," Novak wrote.

Armitage gave a different version of events to CBS News. The former Bush administration deputy secretary of state said he disclosed Plame's CIA status in response to an "offhand question" from Novak.

"I didn't put any big import on it and I just answered and it was the last question we had," Armitage said.

Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, filed a lawsuit in July against Vice President Cheney, Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Karl Rove, claiming that they had violated her constitutional rights and discredited her by disclosing that she was an undercover CIA operative.

Armitage was added to the lawsuit on Wednesday, following news that Armitage was Novak's initial source for a column he wrote identifying Plame as a CIA officer.

Armitage told CBS News correspondent David Martin last week that he was sorry for what he characterized as an inadvertent disclosure.

"I feel terrible every day," Armitage said, "I think I let down the President. I let down the Secretary of State. I let down my department, my family, and I also let down Mr. and Mrs. Wilson."

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has investigated the leak of Plame's name for years and has not charged anyone with intentionally leaking her identity. Libby is under indictment; he's charged with lying to authorities about his conversations with reporters.

[buddyandmom]

Novak says "He made clear he considered it especially suited for my column". Come on ! So Novak allows others to tell him what should be in his column ? Does he really think we are that dumb to swallow this line of *** ? It wouldn't surprise me that he does. And why not ? Our president sure does ! A suggestion for Novak's column tomorrow: I resign !

[agnim]

This clear and unambiguous breaking of the law is getting stinker by the moment as the canaries sing their arses off.

The BIG QUESTION is, "Why the hell isn't Novak being persecuted and prosecuted? Did he and his evil editor not know (or should have known) that leaking the identity of an agent is illegal?

That cowardly and treasonous traitor, Novak, did nothing to plug the leak, and mitigate the threat to the nation's security!"

Why are these *** getting away with so much serious high crimes and misdemeanors, while a guy couldn%u2019t even lie about PRIVATE ***, which did not threaten the nation and was of concern only to the families of those involved?

Are Americans still so freaking asleep?
One would have thought that 911 woke up Americans for them to attend to things that are of clear and present DANGER to our existence, no?

[thompaine2]

The critical element to charging anyone with blowing Plame's cover is whether they KNEW she had classified/covert status. Armitage claims he doesn't remember seeing the symbol for "secret" at the start of the paragraph containing the information about Plame. It is very difficult to believe that a man as smart and accomplished as Armitage could overlook or forget something so important. And lying about the circumstances in which he revealed the information can reasonably be regarded as showing consciousness of guilt.

[darjon38]

Why is it that news media (Novak) think they have a "duty" to report everything they hear, whether it is top secret or just gossip? Is getting the "scoop" so obscenely important that they don't consider national security? Did Novak have to report the "plame game" before he considered the consequences, or do news reporters think they are above the laws of morality, decency and common sense?

[generey]

She was serving her country and this is what she got? Wake up people; she could have been killed over this had somebody not pulled her out. Somebody needs to answer for this.

[debbiemeadow]

"You guys are all crazy!! This was a dem smear Bush campaigh from the beginning. Lets have some hearings and run Shumer up for questioning. Oops I forgot this was a get Bush Chaney deal"

Are you saying NOVAK was in on a democrat smear campaign?? ROFL!!! NOVAK is more republican than...well...than Bush and Chaney!! How funny! That's NeoConservative psychobabble

[evatt1]

You guys are all crazy!! This was a dem smear Bush campaigh from the beginning. Lets have some hearings and run Shumer up for questioning. Oops I forgot this was a get Bush Chaney deal

[roydewitt]

Mr. Novak is a smug republican worm who for years took pleasure in his connections with top republican administration staffers. Now like a typical crook being caught in his evil doing, squeals like a trapped pig. If our so-called "rule of law" worked, Rove, Armitage, Novak, Cheney, and Bush would be indicted with making a CIA agent's name public. Mr. Cheney wrongly argues that he can declassify any information he pleases, even an agent's name. All the president's men are sneaky cowards. Unfortunately, there are no republicans with the backbone to defend our laws and seek justice against this evil administration.

[averra-2009]

What I still don't get is why Rove, who confirmed Plame's CIA position to Novak after he heard it from others, wasn't prosecuted. As a therapist, if someone said to me "I know so-and-so's your client," it would be a total violation of my client's confidentiality to say "Ah! You're right! And since you've already heard it elsewhere, it's okay for me to confirm that." I can't imagine why the CIA standards would be any less than those for therapists and other professionals.

[getcentered]

I pretty much agree with every comment bellow. It's amazing actually! The CIA leak case I thought might have been forgotten.

Our intelligence gathering systems are one of the most important tools in overcoming terrorism. To politicize CIA agents and reveal names makes the tool useless.
Punish all involved.
Politics weakens the usefulness of intelligence!